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John Preiss of The Preiss Company Joins Student Housing Panel at Texas Multifamily Conference

Wednesday September 19, 2012

Company Executive Vice President joins industry leaders to discuss the drivers behind student housing investment and development

RALEIGH, NC – September 19, 2012 – The Preiss Company is pleased to announce the recent participation of John Preiss, Executive Vice President, in the InterFace Conference Group’s inaugural InterFace Multifamily: Texas on August 23rd at the InterContinental Dallas in Dallas, Texas. The full-day event was an information and networking conference focused on who is buying, building, and financing apartment property in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin.

Preiss participated in the student housing panel, which addressed such points as the factors driving the student housing sector's brisk pace and whether or not this level of activity is sustainable. Joining Preiss on the panel were Scott Duckett, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating and Business Officer with Campus Advantage, Jaclyn Fitts, Associate Director of Student Housing with CBRE Capital Markets, and Doug Sherman, CEO of Innovative Student Housing. Roger Phillips, CEO and Principal with TEXLA Housing Partners, LLC served as moderator.

The Preiss Company currently operates in eight states (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Maryland, Illinois, Texas, and Pennsylvania) and in 11 markets. The company has been a multi-year recipient of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce's coveted Pinnacle Business Award, winner of the Metro Bravo Award for Residential Real Estate, and winner of the Triangle Fast 50 Award for fastest growing company. Preiss says that student housing’s brisk pace can be attributed to a number of current factors.

“There are several things in the industry that are creating the perfect storm in student housing,” says Preiss. “The steady growth of student enrollment, readily available cheap debt, and sustained rental rate growth are just a few. We’re also seeing 10-year Treasury bond rates at record lows.”

Preiss says that for most of the 2000’s, large garden projects with bed/bath parity and high-dollar amenities dominated the market. He says that there is now a push for infill, high-dense urban student properties with structured parking, and he foresees the market sustaining this current level of growth.

“The [student housing] market is moving fast and furious right now and a lot of development is going on,” says Preiss. “The companies/properties that will thrive are the properties with very good operators. Those properties are the ones that will be able to survive when the markets hit saturation.”

Preiss says that anyone interested in entering the student housing industry should exercise caution on the operating side, as there have been many conventional, multifamily players who “stick their foot in the water” because on the surface, the industries seem similar. He suggests companies hire established student housing operators rather than opt for self management.

“The future holds a lot of opportunities, especially in development,” adds Preiss. “We also see more third-party management opportunities presenting themselves. Bottom line is good operators. Newcomers entering the market need to understand and realize the value of hiring good operators. The established good operators are few and far between and those few are clearly benefitting from this market surge.”

About The Preiss CompanyThe Preiss Company is currently the 5th largest privately held owner and manager of student housing in the country and the largest woman-owned student housing owner and provider in the nation. For more information, visit www.tpco.com.